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I have a 19" - with wheels- that I use for short european trips - since that's the limit on many local flights - and even some back to the US. (Coming from Zurich back to the US I have seen many americans have to gate check their carry-ons since they don;t meet the 19" standard of newer european plane configurations.)

There are a zillon bags smaller than 22", that isn't any problem at all. Any store with luggage should carry them. I bought one at Target, I believe(think the brand is Ascot) that is only 19-20 inches. The real issue is the width, which the majority of people violate already and they don't do anything. I thought that's what you were going to ask about.

Currently, I think it is usually 9-10 inches and most people violate that, especially when their bag is packed very full. Those recommendations said 7.5 inch, I believe, that is the real issue. Who makes that? Even the bags that are only 19-20 inches are frequently at least 10 inches wide (thick). Like this one

Just to to ebags.com or somewhere and you can search by size. I don't see any only 7.5 inch, but I don't think airlines are going to set that limit, anyway. I don't really get the point of it, bags fit into the overhead that are thicker than that, so it's kind of wasted space. I admit I had one once really packed so it was thick, and they never check so I carried it on, and I had trouble getting it in but I did. But it was probably about 10-11 inches thick, at least. Some people have even thicker ones, I've noticed, as they made them shorter but thicker.

Well, Dukey, I must confess I have never actually been made to check. I have looked at those "check boxes" at boarding gates often, and thought, "Oh, Boy, I hope they don't check, 'cause mine will never pass!" Then I look around at the other passengers that are carrying on the modern equivalent of a steamer trunk, and shake my head.

When we flew Easyjet a couple of weeks ago I left my 22" roller at the Paris hotel and only packed a few things in my day pack for our flight to Nice.

I really don't want to check luggage as that removes the incentive to pack lightly. I just wish the airlines would get their act together and come out with a standard that they all enforce.

The other problem is the spate of 'under seat rolling totes' which typically are 15" wide. Duh, several planes I have recently been on, but I'll exemplify with the newer 737-800s or -900s, vary underseat width depending on whether you're in window, middle or aisle. The window gets the most. The middle-aisle has to house the metal box for presumably technology which people want. The seats may be a standard width but the legs holding them up are off-placed underneath. Would only recommend soft, fabric, malleable tote, or a backpack, which widths will work. Those underseat totes look very coordinated atop the 20-22" former-carryons some of which are now banned, but they will not slide under your seat. I measured all the underspace widths on a recent flight from CA as I thought to buy one, but they would not fit.

I know, Danon, that U.S. carriers routinely allow larger bags as carry on, but that does not necessarily apply to European carriers. Ryanair, for example has size limits approximately matching the new proposal, and they MEAN it. They, IME, carefully check both the size as well as the weight of most bags. Bags over that size and weight (10kg) will be refused at the gate and put in the hold and charged 50€/bag.

I will leave it to the folks who travel on European airlines more often than I do to chime in as to how strictly the limits are enforced on other carriers.

I've been hearing for years how airlines were supposedly cracking down on carry-on size, but I keep flying with the same large carry-on bag I've been using for years. I'm not sure how big it is; it fits vertically in a 737 overhead bin, barely. Other passengers bring on larger bags than I do.

I flew KLM last month twice in Europe. One was a fairly small jet - still no problem carrying it on plus with my camera bag. If I ever fly easyJet again, I'll be prepared to check the bag.

Easyjet does limit you to one carryon, which is a problem for many (especially women, I guess, who may have large purses). I don't care, I gladly check my bag and it doesn't bother me. But Easyjet's carryon allowance in terms of size isn't any smaller than most airlines, and bigger than many, so I don't understand why flying Easyjet would make one check a bag of a certain size but not on KLM.

Easyjet's carryon allowance is 56x45x25 which is 22"x17.7"x9.8". I don't think they have any weight limit. KLM's carryon allowance is smaller, only 55x35x25 cm and I think 12 kg.

The difference between easyJet and KLM is that I'm guessing easyJet (last flew them ten years ago) is much more strict in making passengers comply with the guidelines. I was way over KLM's allowances on my two recent flights but no one said a word. In 2009, I had to gate check my bag because the flight was completely full and an agent walked around looking for people with larger bags before we boarded, but it was free.

The last several times I've used Ryanair, they didn't check anything. What annoys me is that they allow bags that clearly don't meet their standards to board, and then at a certain point they start making people check everything. I have a small bag that will actually fit under the seat on front of me, but they even made me check that the last time I went to London.

I think perhaps you can rest a bit easier if this latest from the NY Times is any indication:

"The new proposed guideline is not a maximum but an 'optimum.' Airlines are still free to set their own, higher limits. You do not need to replace your bag. The association’s idea is simply that smaller bags, approved through an I.A.T.A. program and bearing a 'Cabin OK' logo, should get priority to stay on board on those full flights where some bags must be gate-checked."